Marvin Fong, The Plain DealerPaul Oyaski, former mayor of Euclid and former development director for Cuyahoga County, testified this morning in the Jimmy Dimora federal racketeering trial in Akron.

AKRON, Ohio --
A former Cuyahoga County development director who knew Jimmy Dimora when he was mayor of Bedford Heights and later as county Democratic Party chairman testified this morning in the former county commissioner's federal racketeering trial.

Paul Oyaski, former director of development for Cuyahoga County, said Dimora was unusually involved when the city of Berea secured federal money for a park improvement project.

Oyaski, who was once mayor of Euclid, said his department became aware in 2007 the bridge project might not receive funding because it would not meet federal regulations.

He said Dimora told him it was important for Berea’s mayor to receive competitive grant funding to construct the pedestrian bridge at Coe Lake in Berea.

The city later received a $150,000 grant.

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Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Rowland showed Oyaski documents related to the funding of the bridge and a letter that had been sent to Dimora. Oyaski said commissioners usually would not receive correspondence on grant applications.

But Oyaski also said he was not aware whether Dimora got anything of value from contractor Ferris Kleem on the bridge project.

The charges against Dimora are found in a 36-count, 148-page
federal indictment, alleging that he used his county commissioner's office as the base to run a criminal enterprise. Dimora is on trial along with a co-defendant, Michael Gabor, 52, of
Parma, a former office assistant in the auditor's office. Gabor is accused of bribery and conspiracy, including a charge that he tried to pay a judge $10,000 to fix his divorce case.

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